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PLDN Chapter 2
Chapter 2: A Happy, Peaceful Life in Miranda City Sub-Entry 011: "A Left Turn Into..." The portal opened... "...the mission was a success!" "Was there any doubt? We're an unbeatable team!" "Your confidence is inspiring." "I detect deadpan sass." "Gloating is a sign of weakness." "Well I say when you've got it, flaunt it." "Really, you two?" "You guys! We won! Let's not get into an argument. Let's go and celebrate." "You know...you have a point." "Of course I do....Bestie." I smiled and nodded. "Well. Point well-made, Bestie. C'mon. Hugs." "Never too old for hugs." A shared embrace between best friends was just the thing. Me, Ampere Arcade and Asriella Dreemurr-Arcade. "Yeah, that's it. Now rub her shoulder...and maybe sniff a little--" *THWAP* Benjamin's tessan fan smacked against Vincent's skull. "What have I warned about keeping it family friendly? Do not be lewd again." "Eheheh...can't blame a guy for trying." "Uncle Vin!" Asriella protested. "We're family!" "Okay, okay. I get it. No more pervy thoughts." Vin reached over and mussed Asriella's head fur. "Still got that, huh?" Vin pointed to the hair ribbon. "It was a precious gift." I shrugged. "Don't oversell it." "Well, I know one thing I can sell you on..." Asriella said with a sly smirk. "Rock-Afire Pizzaria?" Goat Daughter nodded. "It's even better now that they deliver. " "Good idea! Call it--" "Already done. Annnnnd--" * ZOOOOOOOOOM * "Hey, Sully!" "My maaaaaaaaaaain maaaaaaaaaan!" "Greetings, old friend." Sullivan Acorn lowered his visor and smirked as he balanced the spinning pizza box on his finger. "So. Who's in the mood for a slice or two? X-Large, X-Pep, X-treme times ahead! Oh, and Max says hi." "Give him our best." Sully set the pizza box down on the lab table and opened it. *AHEM* "Uh-oh." "Uh...hey, Nicky--" "The name is NICHOLAS." Came the irate voice of Nicholas Lynx. I sweatdropped. "Uh...no food in the lab?" Asriella asked. Nicholas pointed toward the open door. "Guess we're takin' this party back to Max's." "Gizmo's waiting along with Lucas and Rhoda." "Let's not keep em' waitig--" -=CRYPTOSMASHER LOGGING INTERRUPT=- * ADMINISTRATOR ACCESS. * * DELETING LOG * * USER LOCKOUT. RETURNING TO ORIGINAL FUNCTION * "That's TWO, Violet." I growled as I clutched the holo-tablet. "Eheheheh..." "Forgot your laptop my tail...you and your diversionary excuses." I grumbled. "You're lucky that White Knight didn't consider this a security breach." "Aunt Vi, seriously? You're gonna get us in trouble writing those fanfictions of yours." Asriel scratched his head. "Soooo...I'm guessing you still don't want me reading them, Volt?" "It's for your own sanity's sake. Trust me." I replied. Also, her works likely contained two other dangers. First, her NSFW content, obviously. Granted, Asriel was 15...well...115, but we were still trying to keep his mind clean. ANd second...the possibility of it containing...sensative information about the Underground. That even though the timeline had been reset...his world hadn't completely come to an end. A new one could reconstitute, in theory, at any time. "I trust you." "C'mon. Let's go home." We hadn't noticed Violet trying to sneak off to a nearby Providence workstation-- "OWWW! Hey!" Violet winced as Bunnie grabbed her by the ear. "I don't think so." With that she yanked Vi through the portal. "Ahem. As I was saying...next stop...home." Asriel and I stepped through as the portal closed. Sub-Entry 012: "Back in Miranda City": We emerged from the warp gate into the long, plastic decontamination tube that lead to a secure air lock at the end. We had to make sure there weren't any nano-sized clingers on us, despite Nikita's precautions to keep us nanite free. Once we emerged in the air-lock, we were scanned thoroughly. All readouts showed zero presene of nanites save for what was in Bunnie. How Nikita evaded detection I'll never know to this day but that was a revelation that would be far down the road. "Home sweet home." I mused. "I enjoyed it off world. But...I'm worried about them. You think they'll be okay without us?" "Azzy, they've done fine on their own up until we crossed paths. I'm sure it's nothing Providence can't handle." I assured. "Yeah. I mean how much trouble could Rex get into in the time it took us to leave, get decontaminated and such?" A few hours later, off world... Rex lay face down underneath the giant killer EVO rabbit that had landed on him from its hop off of the giant machine in the hidden laboratory he had investigated. "Violet can never know about this..." He groaned as he engaged the Omega Build to turn the tables. Back in the lab... Asriel put his NX gear into the charging bay while Bunnie reported to Dr. Lynx's lab with Nikita in tow. Violet took the secret tunnel to Computer Valhalla. I stayed behind to see what Asriel wanted to do with the rest of the day. Sub-Entry 013: "The More Things Change...": We passed by Tethys, a Deep One or "Mindflayer" as some had generalized their race as. We'd finally gotten Violet to stop calling her an "Inkling" and asking her if she was more kid or more squid. Oh brother. Or as Al Dente soon learned, it was never a good idea to attempt invasive security protocol with an intensely psychic species that can EASILY make you soil yourself and forget who you are for an hour or more. I briefly caught sight of Raviel, a celestial native to this realm, conversing with Israkan. Probably about that crown artifact. Despite being here...being home for the last 5 years...I felt like I was falling behind in current events. It was hard to keep track of all the new faces and new goings-on in town. I looked in the other direction where Z6-L3-Zeta was waiting for the arrival of Red Stokes. This, on the other hand, I was on top of. Recently, Red's A.I. partner and powered armor system, Null had...caused some problems while forces had managed to resurrect the threat known as the phoenix, Irae. As a result of...things, Null agreed to have his systems rolled back and limiter routines to prevent his program from self-rewriting and evolving. It was a pretty serious choice with serious consequences; but it was for the good of all. It was...the law after all. Constructs like him had to be properly managed under multiple ordinances agreed upon by Miranda and Neo Arcadia City. There were objections of course...but...it had to be done. Zeta was very instrumental in balancing the situation. Over yonder, I noticed R-Series lifeform, Vermillion, in the company of Gargoyles, Gahiji and offspring, Jaina. I sighed. That wasn't all that had replaced a lot on my platter...all of our platters. New names, new situations, and new problems had come and gone, while others stayed. Who was who? What was what? I've never denied having trouble with keeping track of everyone and everything I'd ever encountered, even before my immortality began. "...when did they close that place down?" Asriel interrupted my thoughts and pointed to the taco joint across the way. "Oh. I...guess that did happen." I was surprised too. Lupe had always gotten fish tacos there. When it started up, a contest started up to name the new place some time before it even opened a couple decades ago. Violet submitted "It's Raining Tacos". I had a feeling that it was a reference I'd discover sooner or later. Well...it was definitely later when I saw the meme on the Miranda Internet. Didn't take much longer to figure out that Violet was implying that she took credit for setting the trend "before it was cool". I'm not sure why but I can't help but think of "Blueberry" whenever that meme crosses my eyes or ears. "That's progress...I guess." I said with a shrug. Why was this making me remember "Stranger in Moscow"...back from when I first interacted with UTPR-3224's Sans the Skeleton? Obviously because these were the things that stirred a feeling of being a stranger in your own home. For someone like me? Change was often bad. I was too much of a routine-ist. I counted on things being the same. I depended on them. Yet so very little in the InfinityVerse stayed the same. Asriel was proof right now. Just because he was still a cinnamon roll and the kindest, sweetest friend I'd ever known...didn't mean he wasn't growing up. He was no longer as naive as before. I'd been through those worries in the past. My biggest fear was him growing apart from me; losing his compassion...turning into a punk. Basically, Flowey still haunted me. I never resolved things with him. When I reached out to him...he ran away. Frisk reset the timeline. "Volt...change doesn't have to be a bad thing, you know." "I know. It' s just...harder for me. Even being immortal doesn't help. I've lived through so many changes while I stay the same." "You're thinking about how everything is temporary, aren't you?" Dang. Besides growing less naive, Asriel also grew more perceptive. "..." "The past needs to stay in the past for when you need it; not to haunt you went you don't. What's already gone lives on in memory, right?" "Yeah..." "As for what's here and now? The future can wait. Don't get bent out of shape over what hasn't disappeared from your life, Volt. I'm here. Sensei's here. Aunt Vi is here. Everyone you know and love is still here and we'll all be here for a long time to come." "I guess you're right." I looked on with sad, overwhelmed, but somehow hopeful eyes. "Speaking of here and now..." We rounded the bend. Sub-Entry 014: "...The More They Stay the Same": The anguished cry of a French-ish coyote sailing out of a restaurant with a very obvious boot print on his rump was all too familiar. "Antone." We both said in unison. "I weell ne-vaire be eating in zees dump again!" Antoine shouted back before unleashing a storm of swears in his native tongue. I looked to Asriel who looked back. "I got this." He headed over to Antoine and helped him off the ground. I decided not to butt into the conversation. Nikita had been walking Asriel through the basics and intermediate levels of Antoine's native language as of recent while Bunnie had been teaching him the Jangese language for some time. Azzy had the golden touch...or speech when it came to pacifying our calamity coyote. Besides. One thing that hadn't changed was that most of us, self included, could only take Antoine in very small doses. A bit more assistance and ego-mending and Asriel let Antoine get on his way...hopefully he'd get a meal without being thrown out of another place. If that was the case, I'd consider Asriel a miracle worker when it came to advice for Mr. D'Cooliette. "You're a saint, Asriel." "Nah. I just have the patience of one." He said, eyes now cyan blue. We passed by Rock-Afire Pizza where Sally was prepping to make a delivery for Mitzi. During her in-between-races days and her off season she found that whe she couldn't get gigs as a D.J., pizza delivery was the next best thing. We paused as the door swung open and the neon blue contrail took a Tron Lightcycle set of bends as she weaved around us and the people in the streets. We both caught the brief "Hi guys! Bye, guys!" before the light streak faded away. "Nice." We kept going. Hestia waved from her bakery. Asriel waved back. "There are some things that are here to stay, y'know." Admittedly, Goat Son was making a compelling argument. As we were soon on our way, a lot more familiarity lined up to greet us in ways that brought comfort to our moments of apprehension. There was Ripper, attempting another foolish stunt involving hard rock music, pyrotechnics, and a heavily modified vehicle that was in no way street legal. Encouraging him was his main squeeze, Valerie Gilneas. There was Marcel Gilneaus serenading his familiar, Josquin, with his accordian. The Drakeslime happily danced to the music. Close by, I could see Chameleon. Tithius was perched on his shoulder. His other familiar, the shadow drake, Asmirus, was feasting upon the fearful emotions of one Alfred M. Dente, much to Chameleon's amusement. "I warned you that there would be consequences from the Christmas Party." "B-B-But, that was years ago! Before--" "The lesson to be learned is never, ever believe you're in the clear when you cross a Septus." I looked at Asriel. He looked back. "Well...maybe we should help him out." "Yeah. We really should." A long, awkward pause. "But you know...it would undermine the lessons that Chameleon's instilling upon someone so ignorant and inconsiderate." "It's...for the best." Asriel agreed with a huge anime sweatdrop. "Besides. There are some things you just have to mind your own business on. Right?" "R-Right!" And we kept on going. Yeah. Stiiiiiiill a wonderful rolemodel, aren't I? Suuuuuure I am... Yup. You know it's bad when Asriel of all people is willing to turn a blind eye to the plight of Al Dente. But who were we kidding? Alfred totally had it coming. Chances are he did something unspeakable that Violet had a punishment ready to go for him. He just never learns. With that bit of uncomfortable behind us, we of course caught sight of Prisma St. Croix and her loyal camera-rabite, Wrench, on location. Presumably chasing after the next big news story. Good kid. Good rabite. We'd have to visit them and give our thanks for handling the interview those years ago which let Azzy be welcomed into the town with open arms. Sub-Entry 015: "Path From Despair and Nightmares to Hopes and Dreams": I couldn't help but give a pleasant smile. Since I found this lost little Dreemurr all that time ago, I'd watched him blossom into someone truely amazing. At first...he was closed off to the world; he'd lost everything. While he kept his body and his soul...he still lost himself. Chara's death had started the downward spiral. Gaster, whose name I had been cursing for a long time now, had ignored him to the point that was convinced he didn't want exist. Yet...something kept him existing. Something kept him from becoming like Gaster. What was it that let him retain himself? I brought him to a world that was not his own. From the night he arrived, he had no reason to live. Other iterations of him just wanted to go back to the beginning; reset everything to zero. What had you done to him, Gaster, that he didn't even have that desire? How could you let him just completely shut down and wait for his own death to join Chara? My anger spike didn't last as I thought of his journey from there. The very thing I wanted to keep him from--the buttercups--were the very thing that were the catalyst to shock him back onto the path of recovery. I didn't get it. It shouldn't have worked this way. But...because of that incident in Lupe's Garden...he began to open up and not just follow us out of that same curiosity that probably compelled Flowey to start killing, but actually love and trust us. Ultimately accepting us as his new family. From that moment on he was never truly alone. He lived, he learned, he loved. But most of all he adapted. What would always make him...well...him, was retained but what he gained to become part of our world exceeded even my wildest dreams. We weren't prepared for what had also been brought from the timeline; Frisk's code as well as...that something else that we still hadn't explained. The "vessel" that let him contain the virtues of the fallen children. I wondered if we had even begun to understand its real function. However, Asriel had learned to let go. Who knew his former best friend...didn't. It was because of that, an evil presense exploited that longing. I clashed against her several times before she took the fight to my home town. She almost neutralized all of us. In the most amazing role-reversals, Asriel changed the game. Many a True Pacifist timeline, through Frisk's actions and determination, the spirit of Chara helped them reach out to Asriel's soul--the one last person to save. By reminding him who he was, Frisk saved Asriel from himself. But this time...it was Asriel's turn to realize a new destiny and save Chara from herself...from the darkness that had corrupted her. From Chara's redemption and the Wraith's imprisonment, a new destiny for the once-lost Dreemurr had opened up. I still wonder...have we seen the true potential of the code that Asriel had inherrited from Frisk? With that wonder came worry. If Asriel had access to all of of Frisk's H.U.D. save for the Fight button...did he have the power of Reset? The same power that Flowey had gained from Alphys' injections of Determination? "I see those gears turning in your head, Volt." My thoughts were interrupted. "You're worrying again. About things that I'm not ready to know about, right?" I can't stress enough how much more perceptive Asriel had gotten in five years. "If you're wondering when I'll ask about those things...it's not up to me. It's up to you to decide when I'm ready. I may be almost 116, but you've got far, far more experience and wisdom under the belt. I trust your judgement. I'd like to believe I have at least some of that infinite patience ofyours. It's hard to keep those questions in the back of my mind. But I'm keeping them there for your sake." In five years it sounded more and more natural for him to use big words and show wisdom beyond his years. I guess he had a lot in common with orphans like Bunnie and myself; growing up and maturing mentally and emotionally before our time. Yet, I was certain something about our world had played a part in his abilities spiking so radically. Other iterations of Asriel weren't this intelligent. Other versions of him would be so lost with all that had unfolded before him. This Asriel absorbed so much like a sponge and was continuing to improve and evolve. "Azzy..." "I know. You'd want me to do so for my own sake. So...a compromise? What if we agree...for both our sakes?" "Asriel.......heh......fair enough." A knuckle-bump in lieu of a hug. "You know what we both need?" "I think I know." I lead on "We did get done with our mission earlier than I had anticipated, so we've got a large time buffer before we have to get you back to your mom and pop for dinner time." We were off to Lupe's Nature Preserve without fail. Sub-Entry 016: "Still a Flower Child and Proud of It": "Ahhhhhh..." Asriel lay back in the end-to-end field of flowers...specifically...buttercups. It was unreal. Something that had caused him so much pain in the past...such a long-time psychological trigger that brought the weight of everything he lost down upon him like a sledgehamer... He was now as comfortable as ever around htem. I lay back among them as well. Sure, we'd probably get a few words from our loved ones about grass and dirt stains on our clothes...but it would still be worth it. "The flowers are especially beautiful today." "That they are, Azzy. That they are." I vowwed never to take such simple things in life for granted. The worrywort in me knew that the best things in life could disappear in a heartbeat. I was still looking over my shoulder for the other sandal to drop. It hadn't yet but...paranoia had its uses. No better catalyst for being prepared when Murphy's Law reared its ugly head and Madam Fate made us dance to her chaotic tune. I looked over. He was wearing a flower crown. "A part of me thought...that one day I'd outgrow this...that I'd stop having so much passion for flora. Maybe it was just a worry that I'd start being interested in more...masculine hobbies." I understood what he was getting at. "But if anything...I think I understand that this is always who I've been...and who I'll always be. I'm not ashamed of it." His eyes were blue. Such integrity. "I don't think you ever were, Azzy. If anyone's got a problem with you breaking gender stereotypes--" "Easy there, best friend." Asriel had a little chuckle in there. "I appreciate the vote of confidence, but you know what sensei says about rushing to violence." Now they were green. A kind soul is a truly wonderful soul. I smiled. "Right again." I nodded. Goat Son was sure not your typical teenager. Asriel looked skyward, trying to pick shapes out of the clouds. "So...disregarding 100 years...you're going to be the big sixteen soon." "Yeah...kind of...mindblowing, really. I'm...going to be old enough to drive and stuff. I'll be taking my driver's test...getting a car some day..." Asriel reached out toward a cloud that had a kind of a car shape to it. "A little scary getting older and wiser?" "Yeah..." I'd be lying if I said it never crossed my mind that some day I'd outlive him...and everyone else. Some day Asriel would be the first monster to not turn to dust when it was time. As a Genetic Hybrid, he was in for a long life ahead and a very long period of youth. It also meant that his parents...his birth parents, Asgore and Toriel...could still end up outliving him. But I was also not taking into account that a Monsters' aging process stops when they have no offspring. The fact was that Monsters had the potential to live forever if certain conditions such as the aforementioned one were met. I spent a long time questioning myself when I came to the realization I had taken that away from Asriel. With him becoming a Hybrid, he was truly mortal now. Had I done a good thing? Or a bad thing? Asriel's muffled giggle interrupted me. Good timing on the part of Lupe's trusted fauna. "I missed you too, Shi-Shi." Asriel opened his eyes as the alpha male lion nuzzled him. From nearbye I heard Lupe's own giggle as she looked on with bright, ice-blue eyes. "Miss Lycans." I acknowledged. "It fills my heart with warmth to have my favorite visitor in the garden again." Asriel waved to her as he sat up. "You've been making wonderful progress in the field of botany, Asriel. Planning a career in it?" "It's too early for me to be thinking about what I want to do with the rest of my life. I haven't even started up high school, let alone college. Right now, botany is just a hobby. A very passionate hobby I'll never stop loving." "This is true. Some people go through both and still don't know what they want to do as a career. As long as they have those diplomas, anything is possible." I acknowledged. "You might be the best and brightest student we've had at the Ultra Crew Institute." Asriel had decided to attend middle school, high school, and college at our own UCI. Sure enough, he was progressing at an accelerated rate. "Not that I want to change the subject, but I think I just want to give my brain a rest for a bit. Lie back and be one with Mother Nature." Asriel laid his head back into his palms, elbows outward. "You would have made a great druid in another lifetime." Lupe complimented. For a long time we frolicked among the flowers, barefoot and carefree. But eventually the time came that we had to go our separate ways for the day. I headed back to headquarters. Asriel took the NX board back to Scott and Callista O'Conner's place. "I'm home!" Sub-Entry 017: "Home is Where the Heart Is": "Asriel! You're just in time! DInner is almost ready!" "Awesome!" "How did your adventure out go, my little humble bundle? Did you have fun? Did you make new friends?" "Did I ever!" "You can tell us all about it at dinner. Come in and greet your father, he's missed you, too." "Okay!" Asriel slipped off his sandals and left them in the shoe holder and hung his jacket in the closet. There was Scott O'Conner in the recliner, reading a newspaper. "Hi, Dad!" Scott lowered the paper and got to his feet. "Hey, sport. Got a hug for your old man?" "You're not old! You haven't changed at all in five years." "Figure of speech, kiddo." Scott's personality had finally bloomed after being introverse and withdrawn for all the years since his recruitment into UCIAT. Asriel of course hugged. Playfully, Scott put Asriel in a gentle headlock and proceeded to-- "D-D-Don't noogie the g-goat son!" Asriel managed to gasp out between laughs. "You know you like it." Scott eased up. I'm not going to say it. Even though I'm thinking it. Even now the Underground still managed to let its influence seep into our world in those moments. Scott! Are you noogie-ing our floofy little angel?" "Well--" "Lying is a sin, pop." Asriel smirked with a wink. "I'll stop, dear!" "Oh you." Callie peaked out from the kitchen doorway. "What's for dinner tonight, mom?" "Well, I thought I'd make chicken and rice tonight. Buuuut, Antoine dropped off a special treat just for you I think you like, Asriel." "Oh! What's that?" "Escargot." "Escargot...? ...in other words...SNAIL?" Asriel's eyes lit up. "Exactly!" "Oh wow!" "You can half half and half of each and save the rest for leftovers." "A combo dinner? I'm loving what I'm hearing, mom. You're the best!" Now that was an echo from the past. His first birthday in Miranda City and a fancy dinner at a fancy restaurant didn't go according to plan. Who would have thought Antoine of all people would end up saving it by spilling his escargot all over an apple pie? I knew of two...three people in the Underground who new their snails. One was Napstablook and his cousin, now known as Mettaton. Echos of Thundersnail still ring in my head when I think of the snail races. I had to wonder if Mettaton ever spend his down time tending to an Achatina Fulica. Come on. Even a big, self-centered star like MTT had to keep a part of the ghost he was...ahem...alive inside. Annnnd I just made someone facepalm. More likely made a certain skelly go into a rage over my bad joke/pun. Dinner was on before long and Goat Son and family feasted hearty. Afterward... Sub-Entry 018: "A Prince Only In Heart and Soul": A knock on Asriel's room door. "Come in!" Callista opened the door to a rather tidy room. There was Asriellaying down in front of a stack a books and papers. Playing on his stereo was a favorite song of his, "Two Princes" by Spin Doctors. Asriel usually avoided any allusions to Royalty. Yet this song was a special exception. Maybe...it reminded him what once was. While Chara was female...at least this iteration of her, It wasn't that much of a stretch as thinking of her and her tomboyish personality as being as agender as Frisk. The thought of two Prince Dreemurrs had wandered in and out of my mind before when I considered that Violet's Rule 34 fanfics might actually exist in some form or another. I had searched all throughout the Underground for an elusive picture of Asgore, Toriel, Asriel, and Chara together. That elusive picture where Asriel had that anime "smiling eyes shut" grin next to Chara, hiding her face behind a bundle of flowers. Yet...I never found it. Oops...went off another tangent. Right. Goat son. "Just finishing my homework, mom. Did you need something?" "Violet just called to ask if you were still on tonight?" "On? Oh yeah! I almost forgot! Bad movie stream night again!" "Bad movie stream?" "Yeah, Violet, the VARS cyborgs, and the others load up this random stuff on the internet; a mix of old VARS movie archives, memes, movie and video game reviews, memes, foreign PSA's, and mixes of cult classics, low-budget sci-fi, and anime." "Sounds...interesting." "It's an acquired taste. Or at the very least a bunch of stuff to make fun of together. I just hope that the feature presentation isn't The FP again." "Huh?" "Yeeeeeeah. Trust me. You don't want to know." "But I do want to know." "No. Trust me. You don't." Asriel said flatly. "O...kay..." To clarify, all you really needed to know about The FP was that someone thought it a good idea to shamlessly rip off the Karate Kid script and replace karate with generic Dance Dance Revolution. Then rewrite the script by putting the entire urban dictionary of street lingo, gamer speak, and outdated slang into a blender and making it as disfunctional and Generation X/Y as possible. Also...I'm not at liberty to discuss the profanity, drug-and-alcohol-usage, and NSFW content. But the weirdest thing to wrap your head around wasn't any of that...it was feeding the ducks. Yes. Ducks. The other thing you needed to know was that it was Violet's idea to show it a few Tuesday nights ago. Nuff' said. "So. Did Violet say anything else?" "Well...she did kinda ask when you'd start living like a prince and embrace your royal heratage." Asriel sighed and closed his eyes and pinch-rubbed the bridge just underneath his brow. "She's still going on about that?" "Afraid so." "I left that life behind. The Dreemurr bloodine is gone. I may be the last living heir, but I've forsaken that life. Around here the only royalty is Mother Nature, like Lupe says." "Well. You might not be a prince anymore, but you're still our little prince." "Moooom....!" Asriel couldn't hide the embarassment. But he was polite. "Thanks." Callista knelt down and playfully booped his snoot. Asriel grinned that closed-eyes anime grin and let out a happy bleet. "You're such a good young man, Asriel. You've made Scott and I so proud." Callista beamed warmly as she gently stroked a long, fluffy goat ear. "I dare do all that may become a man. Who dares more is none." "Macbeth." "I heard it from Garfield, first. But...yes. William Shakespear...thought I'd get a jump on things before high school. He wrote pretty dark stuff. So much blood and betrayal. I kinda see what Chara was trying to protect me from." "Heh. Irony, considering the quote you just made. Mamma's little overachiever." Asriel shrugged as he scribbled down a final calculation and circled his answer. "Aunt Violet's been wonderful as a math tutor...when she's not being pervy and weird." Callista rolled her eyes. "That's Vi." She looked on, examining Asriel's display case holder--the one which Asriel kept his and Chara's lockets. His was around his neck. Chara's was in the case next to the empty spot. "Mom...that look in your eyes..." Asriel said as he closed the book. "You...regret not being able to keep he two of us together." "I'm...that easy to read, huh?" "As...much as I still wish she was with us...as much as I wish we could have taken her in and made her part of our family...I know it just wasn't meant to be." Asriel looked down. "There was a time, before I met Chara...I was an only child to begin with. I must've have been a handful...or maybe there were other reasons that father...Asgore and Toriel didn't have another child...maybe a little baby goat monster girl. Knowing my birth dad...what I can remember of him...he'd probably name her some variant ship of his and Toriel's names...I guess something like "Astell" or something like that--" We were still channeling other AU's to this day, weren't we? I wonder where that little tidbit that Asriel picked up on came from? "Asriel..." "N-no! I'm not suggesting...!" Callista laughed. "Well...if...we ever decide to--" "We'll...discuss it in a family meeting." Asriel said with a sweatdrop. "A nice...long...family meeting." Asriel looked down for a moment. "My point is...I was an only child once to begin with. After I lost Chara a second time...I realized...being an only child...I'm okay with that. I moved on. Thanks to Volt and sensei, I know there is an afterlife...or at least whatever a Soul Society is. I'll...see her again some day. When it's my time. For now...I just want to live and thrive among everything and everyone that means everything to me. Like you and Dad...Volt and Sensei...Aunt Bunnie. And all the things in life you can't put a price on. That's my dream. A dream I'm living." Asriel looked into Callista's eyes. "Do...you and Dad want another...?" "Right now, I think one child is all we need." Callie said and planted a little smooch on Asriel's forehead. "Well. I'll let you get ready for your night out. Don't stay out too late." "Chances are, we'll all end up falling asleep before the night's done." "Well if you do, don't sleep on the floor unless you have a sleeping bag." "I won't." "Love you." "I love you too, mom." The door closed and Asriel finished putting his school work away for the next day. But for now... Sub-Entry 019: "Movie Night the Sequel to the Sequel": "...you guys are in for a real treat, this time." "It's not The FP again?" "Why? Do you WANT it to be?" "Violet, that's almost as bad an idea as Theodore Rex." By now, if you were expecting it, this is the part where I apologize in advance for the log probably not making a lot of sense when we got to the actual movie-watching. Not to mention apologizing for probably a lot of references that might not be immediately recognized...if at all. "I couldn't find the Room." "You know you still haven't apologized for the Cell. Gadget was finally ready to join in and you had to go and show that." I glowered. "And now she just hides in the corner when I bring up movie night. I did not want my sister watching a movie where someone is hanging by fishing hooks in their flesh!" "Beeeee distuuuuuuuuuurbed." Vi grinned sheepishly with a shrug. "She was! As well as all of us. Mitzi couldn't keep food down after--" "Guys? Can we just get on with it? This conversation's making me uncomfortable. "Well at this point, it's probably moot if it's the movie, "Sssss". Gadget would be traumatized for life around anything involving snakes." I sulked. "I thought about that..." Vi started. "But no. I found something better." "What?" "Violet. You didn't get Turbo Kid did you?" Sally mused. "Maybe another night." "Here be the popcorn, lads and ladies. " Foxy distributed it. "Here ye are, Vi. Your Milk Duds...though I fail to understand the reference." "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure? The scene at the end with the drive-in." "Not ringin' a bell, lass. Oh, and you wanted the sushi tray, Rotor." "Right here." "Tempura shrimp, Master Rabbotou." "Arigato." "Be honest, Vi. On a scale of "Chargeman Ken" to "Saving Christmas"...what level of excrement are we in for?" "You wound me, Jonny-boy." "Coming from the person who managed to bring Felicia to UCIAT's doorstep...and then have her turn around and recruit me into UCIAT's ranks? Then multiple times tried to bring the likes of Hsien-ko, Sasquatch, Rikuo, and Victor Von Gerdenheim to our front door, too?!" "Man, you're still salty about that? Really, Jon. That's a pretty cold reception for your old friends." "That's beside the point. You know why we can't group together. It's about what surrounds our respective curses as Darkstalkers. Where cursed ones like us go, trouble follows. There's a reason we dispursed so thin across this world all that time ago--" "Can you two please stow the argument for another day? I don't want my son-in-law freaked out, and I don't want you trolling everyone all night, Violet. But most of all I don't want you upsetting Asriel. You've ALREADY driven Gadget away from this, WHICH I'm still salty over." "Ahem." Sophia's voice broke up the conversation. "What's the holdup?" Red had a seat and took a huge, shark-toothy chomp out of his oversized hunk of meat. "You heard her, Vi." I crossed my arms. "Stop stirring things up and get Angie, Sophie's, and company's video uploads running so we can start this thing off." "I do not wish to have to get Brooke-domou involved." Bunnie warned. "Eheheheh...on it." Violet helped the VARS cyborg, Sophia, set it up. "By the way, Azzy. You gonna get out the swear jars?" "Jars? We had to upgrade to water cooler jugs a long time ago with what you picked for our lineups, Vi." Rotor wrinkled his nose. "Guys. I'm fifteen. Well...one-hundred and fifteen. I'm old enough to take a few bad words and NSFW situations. Don't get me wrong, I still don't like the dirty and naughty stuff, but I"m not going to go "UMMMM! HE SAID A BAD WORD!" like a little kid." "You're STILL a cinnamon roll." "I don't remember these movie nights having so much rigamarole before the show started..." I complained. "Patience, Commander." "She's really going to turn that around on us?" Bunnie lowered an eyebrow. "Irony works in strange ways, sensei." We were joined by many others in town. Some of the kitsune such as Suzuka, Shinju, and Tet Satou. As well as Vidian and many of the VARS sisters. First up was a nice little review of some old school LCD games and such. "Ahhh, SUPER old school." Violet mused. "...So old school it's no school." Sally joked. "Hey! I'll handle the bad jokes around here." "This game may actually be TOO simple... But at least it's not bloody and violent." Mitzi said, relieved. " Did he say "Auto Man"?" Violet quipped as the game was set to hard mode. " Now THAT"S a reference. From there it was Kingsmen meets Archer. "This gets amazing." Sophia pointed out. "WHat is this?" Asriel scratched his head, being unfamiliar with both. "This is a pair of super spies meeting." Sophia explained. "Something very British, Goat Son." Jon interjected after swallowing a handfull of popcorn. "A crossover between the best superspy and the worst." Sophia followed up. "Why you gotta hate on the Kingsmen like that?" came the sassy quip of one of the kitsunes in attendence. "...oh god...not HIM." Jon groaned. Kid popped into existence, just then. Just in time for a meme using old Spider-Man cartoon footage. "Electro, you're giving electric-powered beings a horrible rep." I rolled my eyes. From there a look at old school DOS game, Island of the Dead. "This game looks weird." Azzy wrinkled his nose. "...why does that have to be a bad thing? Less violence means I might actually sleep tonight." Mitzi reacted to the comparison of the censored version. "Because it's trying to be a horror game and not a laughable failure simulator, dear Mitzi." Sophia responded. Our favorite shadow-element lycan, Vidian, raised an eyebrow. "What the * FLOWEY CACKLE *?!" " I changed my mind. Island of the Dead is HORRIBLE." "This game is AWESOME." Violet cackled. "I don't think I like it." Asriel turned up his snoot. I'm not sure what Violet dug up but immediately regreted it. Closer examination revealed it was a scene from Preacher; specifically a certain scene from episode 207, I vowed never to show Violet. "This isn't anything like sparring with sensei." Asriel shrunk back a little. "What the...?!?" Mitzi cringed. "Quick save covering Pit's eyes, Volt." Asriel watched as I spared Pit's innocence. "I get the feeling it was probably bad..." "Very." "I understand this is how Violet beats Al Dente during training." "Yeah, when I'm taking it EASY on him." "...that statement makes it worse, Violet." I complained. "HA, KNEW IT!" Kid grinned mischieviously. "How much to hire that guy to do...a job..." Violet mused, devilishly. Tettykins: Btw, someone upvote Blood on the risers if ya wanna hear the background song Then we were treated to a-- "FISH SIMULATOR!" Sophia exclaimed. "This music is too much." "Fishing? Meh." Sally rolled her eyes. "Fishing? Sweet!" Rotor's eyes lit up. "What is this hype?" Kiddles trolled. "EXTREEEEEEEEME! FIIIIIIIIIIIISH!" There was the Escape From Limbo video... "This is another of those game-breaking videos?" Azzy asked. "No this is how you UN-break a game." There was a look at a Heroes of the Storm update... "More of that anime stuff?" "Sarn't Hammer ain;t got time for your * FLOWEY CACKLE *." "Looks like that World of Warcraft thing back from the way old school...or that Overwatch stuff..." Sally shrugged. Then a look at Raiden butchering the Metal Gear timelines. "Oh man! Terminator rules!" Vidian laughed. "Not even the Skull Suit came with." Kid followed up. "Raiden eventually did get his own game. And it was awesome." "What just happened?" "....this is seriously spitting all over Doc Brown's entire research collective." I crossed my arms. After a few more random tidbits such as a "mostly educational" parody film on the Death and Return of Superman, Michael (Jackson) Quest II, and some other random stuff, our feature presentation was a short marathon of episodes of the anime, Kemono Friends, subtitled in Common, voiced in Jangese. "AND NOW FOR A SUDDEN TONE SHIFT!" "So, the intro totally spoils the moment." Violet followed up the fox spirit's comment. "Is this the ep with my cousins?" "Snow treads!" VARS sister, Angie pointed out. "WHere's the fox version of the frizz?" Vidian asked. "All this snow is giving me the chills." I complained. "This is my kind of place." Jon beamed as he wagged his tail. "Play video games she says..." Violet rubbed her hands together. "Bag-chan got dis." "I am having immediate concerns about this plan, Kaban." "The music though...is so intense." "Vidyafox." Angie giggled. "OMIGAWD, IT'S SON WUKONG! No, literally. She even has the golden fillet. And the compliant rod." Angie snickered. "Missing the tiger skin kilt though." "So, would someone care to explain why there is a B2 and a B-29 in the background?" Asriel and Pit were both too in awe to do much commentary. By then a lot of us were starting to drop off. But despite it all, and leaving on a cliffhanger episode... Sub-Entry 020: "While the Calm Lasts...": "...we got done a little early tonight so, I guess we all head home." "Mom will be glad I didn't stay out that late. But I'm still going to have to be quiet, heading in. She and Dad will probably be fast asleep." "Welcome to the world of pre-adulthood, Cinnamon Roll." "It has its perks. I remember when bed time was--" "Yeah, we get you." Sally mussed his head fur. "H-hey! Watch the horns." "This nubby little things? Naaaah. You do a good cow impression." Sally noogied the goat. "I'm not a cow, Aunt Sally!" Asriel protested. "C'mon! D-Don't noogie the g-g-goat kid!" Papyrus got competition for best cinnamon roll. "Well we all got work and such tomorrow." "Yeah. I sure got a full load." I said with a sly grin. "Right. Those transistors aren't going to solder themselves to circuit boards." Asriel jabbed. "My, my. Is that sass I detect." I crossed my arms and smirked back. "Ma boi!" Violet interjected. "VI. No. No unicycle memes." Bunnie thwapped her with a folding fan. "The frog one is dead and burried. Move on." "Eh. It was bound to happen sooner or later. I can move on to Fidget Spinners, now!" "...I immediately regret my decision." Bunjie lowered an eyebrow. "Tell me you don't have one of those time-wasters, Azzy." Jon asked. "...lying doesn't become me..." He replied sheepishly. "That's a kid's toy! You're 15." "Well...y'know..." He shrugged. "Ah, don't listen to here. Sometimes you gotta fidget. Am I right?" Sally said spinning a total of eight of them on each fingertip. "...I'm beyond impressed." Asriel stared. "What am I going to do with you crazy guys and gals?" I rubbed my temples. Rotor just shrugged. "How about...accept and cherish us?" Mitzi smiled as Bunnie nodded. "Already do. Thanks, guys. You know...for--" "You still on that? Water under the bridge. It's all good." "Well. I gotta get going." Asriel unfolded the NX and hopped on and waved. It was still pretty late but not so late it was early. After midnight, defnitely. But a long way from dawn. Asriel sped back home, stowed his transportation and unlocked the door, slipped out of his sandals and quietly sneaked inside, closd the door and locked it. He tip-toed to his room, got into his pajamas and brushed his teeth in his own bathroom and finally hit the sheets. But first, there was one last routine to take care of. Asriel opened the case and took out Chara's locket. "Hello, sister. It's...me again. I...guess you'd probably think I'm pretty needy talking to you every night...asking for advice I know you'll never give. Putting on such a grown-up front to hide that I'm still just a scared, little crybaby inside. Heh...I guess I sitll have lingering issues that will never go away. But...as long as I have you...in here...in my heart...well...I guess I can overcome anything." Asriel kept his voice to a whisper at most. He held the locket in his palm and looked at it longingly. "Sorry, I couldn't be as cool and brave as you. But...I guess I realized...I gotta be me. I think you knew that all along, despite how much you tried to open my eyes to things. Maybe there was a part of you that thought by toughening me up, I'd do what had to be done when the time came. We'd be heirs...we'd be gods...we'd break the barrier and set everyone free. What mistake must I have made that cost you your life...me my freedom...us...our parents and friends...our entire world...?" Asriel looked meloncholy. "I keep seeing your face...hearing your voice...in my dreams. I have to move forward but...I just can't help but keep looking back. I think...you're trying to tell me I made the right choice. Maybe you already did...I wish I would have recorded our conversation back then..." Asriel looked at his camcorder on his dresser. "Just memories now." Asriel looked into his dresser's mirror. "It's a wonderful life. I'm so grateful I get to live it. Thinking back...why would I ever want to pass up an opportunity to have this life? This is what I don't want to let go of. It's more than I deserve...but deserving things is something I don't ask about anymore. I'll earn my keep. I'll earn the right to hold onto what I've been given. I'll keep earning it...day after day after day. I owe it to every Monster who was denied all of these things. I owe it to Father...Mother...you...and even myself. This is what is right...this is what is just. Azzy wiped his eyes on his sleeve. Yeah. He still did that. "Still a crybaby...how pathetic you must think I am. Well...I guess I can take being pathetic as long as I'm true to myself." Asriel's eyes turned blue. "You were the best sibling I ever had. I'll try to make you proud...some day. Right now...I'll just be the best me I can be. Helping people..." Asriel's eyes turned green. "...fighting for justice." Asriel's eyes turned yellow. "Being brave when I just want to run, hide, and cry..." Orange now. "I'll dig deep and find a way to make it all work even when things are bad." From orange to purple. "So be patient with your silly goat brother...I'll wait forever to hug you again." And from purple to cyan. Asriel kissed the locket gently. "All it takes is a little...Determination." Those neon red eyes...yeah. He had full control over this power now. "Thanks for sitting through that long-winded speech. Let's get some shuteye. What do you say?" Asriel gave a pleasant smile. He put the locket back in its holder and then took off his own locket and placed it in the spot next to it and closed up the display. He hugged the whole thing to his chest for a moment before seting it back down and climbing into bed. "Good night, Chara. Good night, everyone." Asriel closed his eyes and drifted off. Peace. Quiet. Silence. But if Asriel had only noticed outside his window... The cloaked figure watched in silent. A furry, clawed hand pressed against the glass for a moment...before withdrawn. The figure turned and headed off, drifting away like smoke. Meanwhile, from the lair of KOMMAND... "So." "Was that...?" "Yes." "Seeing that brought back...memories." "We were so happy then." "It won't be long before the gears of destiny start to move. This peace won't last." "The danger is still yet to come but their lives are about to change." "Violet...you've done well with the progress on A.E.O.N." "This right here is only a link to a single planetary colony within A.E.O.N.'s network. Like a single processor and memory cell combination out of the entire galaxy of them. Right now it's only enough for us to look into the past, present, and future of VGM-098. We're the only ones who can access it right now. As soon as I bring the full core and the remaining networks back up, the Council is going to discover Volt's and Asriel's bracers are online. They won't be able to trace them as long as they're on VGM-098...but the moment they set foot off world..." "Is there no other way?" "Better the Council get to them than...him." "Agreed." "Besides...there's a reason the Council has to find him." "Then...it's manifested?" "It has." "The beginning of the middle of our long and winding tale has started. It's time...time for him to go back." "Then let it unfold. What was will be again..." Chapter 3 Back to Part 1 Back to Project Lost Dreemurr Next